Fill pipe box and gauge box



March 6, 1956 2,737,206

c. D. TUCKERMAN FILL PIPE BOX AND GAUGE BOX Filed Feb. 11, 1953 *4 j I Z? J /3 /7 F /G./

INVENTOR CHARLES DTUCKERMAN v ATTKST,

FILL PIPE 36X AND GAUGE BOX Charles D. Tnckerrnan, Winthrop, Mass. Application February 11, 1953, Serial No, 336,230

3 Claims. (Cl. 13889) This invention relates primarily to fill pipe boxes and gauge boxes such as are installed in outdoor areas of filling stations, preferably flush with the concrete, asphalt or other hard, level surface of the area, also in or near the sidewalks of or approaches of ofiice buildings, public buildings, etc. In order that the principle of my invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, transverse section of the fill pipe box and the gauge box of my invention, and showing the novel cover construction, the main and the inner covers being both closed;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, but partly in elevation and representing both covers as opened or removed from their seats;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the main parts of my invention; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the small inner cover.

Fill pipe boxes and gauge boxes have for years been provided and use in the outdoor areas of filling stations and tanks containing petroleum products for office buildings, public buildings, etc., and are embedded in the concrete, asphalt, gravel or other lever surface for flush installation. Such fill pipe boxes and gauge boxes have been of satisfactorily watertight construction, and they are provided with circular covers intended to be quickly openable by a turning movement, a wrench having a squared or other polygonally shaped head being used for this purpose, the non-round head being received in a correspondingly shaped formation in the cover.

Difiiculty has, however, been experienced-particularly in the northern part of the United Statesin turning and thus opening'the cover in the winter months, because frost and ice form over and about the cover and at the perimeter thereof, making it exceeding difiicult to start the turning or opening movement of the cover. Frequently, resort is made to small picks or other implements to remove the frost and ice, and this has resulted in not only sometimes damaging the cover or breaking the cast iron body of the fill box or gauge box, but in impairing the smooth surface of the concrete, asphalt, or other material in which the fill pipe box and gauge box are installed.

By a gauge box is meant a box similar to the fill pipe box, but usually with a smaller pipe size, that is frequently used in the same tank as the fill pipe box. These gauge boxes are installed directly over the tank, so that a calibrated gauge stick can be inserted to determine the level of the gasoline or oil prior to the filling of the tank.

In order to overcome the difficulty in opening the cover of the fill pipe box and of the gauge box, I have provided a construction wherein there is only a very small area in which any frost accumulation must be overcome, and to this end I have provided a relatively very small inner cover member in the same horizontal plane as the main cover, and at the central portion thereof,

and which receives the squared or other polygonally shaped head of the wrench or like tool, and the turning movement of which small inner cover results in a straight lifting movement of the surrounding main cover from the wall of the fill pipe box or gauge box without requiring a turning movement of such surrounding main cover.

Referring more particularly to the figures of the drawing, which is made substantially to scale, there is represented at 1 the body member or wall of the fill pipe box or gauge box, which, at its lower end, is internally threaded as indicated atZ, and is thereby received upon the threaded end of the pipe 3 leading down to the tank or reservoir to receive the gasoline or oil supply. My invention is not, of course, limited to any particular size of parts, but the threaded end of the pipe 3 is or may be of an internal diameter of three inches.

While my invention is in no wise limited to any particular sizes of parts, I state that the parts are of various sizes according to conditions. Customarily fill pile boxes are made in sizes of 1 A,", 2", 2%", 3", 3 and 4". These sizes refer to the inside diameter of the iron pipe to which they are attached. Although the boxesparticularly the fill pipe boxes-vary in size, the outside cover and body are always much larger than the pipe so that a hose coupling may be attached to the inside double nipple hereinafter referred to.

The body member or wall 1 of the fill pipe box or gauge box is desirably of the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 so that it is of a substantially larger diameter at its upper end or rim 4 than at its lower end. The body member or wall 1 just below the rim 4 is formed with a horizontal shoulder 5, upon which may be received, if desired, an annular washer 6. The main cover, which is received upon the shoulder 5 or upon the washer 6, is indicated at 7. While it may be of any suitable material, it is desirably of malleable iron and may be of the form shown. It will be noted that there is thus present an annular narrow space between the inner vertical edge of the rim land the outer vertical edge of the main cover 7. It is this narrow annular space in which ice gathers and makes it very difiicult to open the cover 7.

In accordance with my invention, the main cover 7 is or may be of increased vertical depth at an inner annular portion 9, and said deeper portion 9 of the main cover 7 is provided with a circular recess at and immediately surrounding the axial portion thereof, indicated at ll), and extending to a suitable depth and ending at an inwardly extending flange portion 11. Thus the diameter or cross section of the circular vertical shoulder 10 is very much less than the full diameter of the outside cover 7, as is clearly evident from Figs. 1 and 2.

In accordance with my invention, 1 provide a small inner cover 12 of the same diameter as, or slightly less than, the circular recess formed at the inner part of the surface of the main cover 7. The said inner cover 12 has a square or other polygonally shaped recess 13, which is intended to receive the squared or other polygonally shaped end of a suitable small wrench. The term squared is used in a general sense and to include any polygonal shape other than round. The said inner cover 12 is desirably of brass. its upper surface is in the same horizontal plane as the upper surface of the main cover '7.

It will be noted from Figs. 1 and 2 that the said inner cover is of reduced diameter at its lower end portion 14 and is of still less diameter at its extreme lower end 15. Such lower end 15, of least diameter, is received within an annular axial recess 16 of an internally threaded caplike member 17 and desirably a cotter pin 18, or other like removable part, is received in through openings formed in the upper end of the internally threaded caplike member 17 and in the part 15 of the inner cover 12.

There is provided a double, preferably brass, nipple 19 having externally threaded upper and lower portions 20 and 21, the said upper threaded portion 2% being threaded into the internal threads of the cap-like member 17, and the said lower threaded portion 21 being received. in the internally threaded formation 2 of the body member of wall 1 of the fill pipe box or gauge box. The lower portion of the double, brass nipple 19 thus extends down substantially to the upper end of the intake pipe 3 that leads to the tank or reservoir. The lower portion 21 of the double nipple 19, 2t 21, is tapered, so that when it is screwed tightly into the body member 1 of the fill pipe box or gauge box, there is no possibility of its turning when the inner cover is unscrewed and the outer cover lifted.

My invention is not, however, limited to the just described details of the construction, including the caplike member 17 and the double nipple 19, since my invention is more particularly concerned with the provision of the small-diameter inner cover member 12 as a means for accomplishing the broad purpose of my invention, namely, the opening of the main cover by a direct lifting movement as opposed to a turning movement. If desired, and as illustrated, I provide a suitable was rer 22, which is received upon the inwardly extending lower portion 11 of the main cover 7. 1 may also provide a round, loose, metal washer-desirably of brass-indicated at 23, to be received upon the extreme upper face or end of the internally threaded cap-like member 17 and surroundin the lower portion 14 of the inner cover 12.

Although the body member or wall 1 may be of any suitable construction, it is desirably an iron casting.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, the cover member has been formed wholly of one part and has always necessarily been rotated in order to unscrew it from the upper end of the body member or Wall 1, and, as before stated, the difiiculty has been that ice during the winter months will form about the circumference of such cover and make it extremely difficult to turn the same.

in the use of my invention a small wrench having a squared or other polygonally shaped end is inserted in the similarly shaped socket or recess 13 of the small cover and turned. If ice is present about the periphery of the small, inner cover 12, it can be much more easily removed than from the much larger circumference of the main cover 7. Inasmuch as said inner cover 12 is secured by the cotter pin 13 to the upper end of the internally threaded cap-like member 17, and inasmuch as the upper end of said cap-like member 17, when said member 17 is turned, acts through the loose metal washer 23 against the under, flat edge of surface 2 1 of the main cover 7, it moves the same directly vertically Without any turning movement whatsoever of said outer main cover 7.

The purpose of the cotter pin 18 is to permit the parts to be easily replaced by removal of such cotter pin, and any other equivalent or like means may be provided instead.

it will be evident that the only place at which frost and ice have to be overcome is the circumference of the relatively much smaller cover 12 as contrasted with the much larger circumference of the outer main cover 7.

it will be noted that because of the fact that the metal washer 23 is loose, there is space enough to start the turning movement of the internally threaded cap-like member 17 by imparting turning movement to the small inner cover 12 before any vertical or lifting movement from the under side is imparted to the outer main cover 7. That is to say, the actual turning movement of said inner cap-like member 17 begins before upward presell) sure is received against the lower face of said outer main cover member 7.

I preferably provide a small, vertical drain hole 25 in the lower part of the body member or wall 1, as indicated at 25, and which would be below the concrete or asphalt surface, and by which moisture or spilt gasoline or oil may pass into the underlying earth.

Having thus described one embodiment of my invention, I desire to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used for purposes of description merely, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

I claim: l

l. in a fill pipe box, gauge box and the like, a box body of general cup form with an apertured and threaded lower portion for installation on a pipe, said body of substantially larger diameter than the pipe and presenting an upstanding rim, a main box cover adapted to seat on the body rim, a double nipple receivable in the body with the inner endconcentrically held in said body lower portion, a pipe closure cap in the body having threaded engagement with the outer nipple end, the main cover having a central opening of relatively small diameter with an annular seating recess surrounding it, an auxiliary starter cover including a flange portion to seat in said recess and a stem portion extending through the central opening of the main cover, said starter cover being rotatable in and relative to the main cover and having an external tool-receiving formation, coupling means connecting the starter cover stem to the pipe closure cap, and means on and between the closure cap and the inner surface of the main outer cover and normally spaced below the latter in the closed position of the closure cap sufiiciently to afiord an initial turning of the latter with the starter cover and adapted thereafter to exert a freeing up-thrust on the main cover.

2. In a fill pipe box, gauge box and the like, a cup-like body for threaded installation centrally on a pipe end, a nipple threadedly received in the body in axial extension of the pipe, a closure cap threadedly receivable on the nipple within the body, a main outer cover peripherally seating on the body and having a central recess with a central through aperture, a second auxiliary cover rotatably seating in the main cover recess and having a portion depending through the main cover aperture into proximity with the closure cap, and coupling means securing the cap to said second cover for rotation in unison and relatively to the main cover.

3. The device according to claim 2 and including a radially extensive washer loosely disposed about the depending portion of the second cover and adapted to transmit upward thrust from the closure cap to the main cover attendant on turning of the closure cap in the removing direction by the second cover and afiording rotative and thrusting bearing surface as between said cap and the main cover.

References Jilted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 849,618 Hurlburt Apr. 9, 1907 969,776 Foley Sept. 13, 1910 1,037,083 Thurman Aug. 27, 1912 1,211,966 Samson Jan. 9, 1917 1,503,736 Wilson Aug. 5, 1924 1,674,074 Turner June 19, 1928 1,933,117 Markle Oct. 31, 1933 1,951,645 Boosey Mar. 20, 1934 2,299,705 Svirsky ct. 20, 1942 2,552,053 Miller May 8, 1951 2,636,514 Woodward Apr. 28, 1953 n am 

